Severe weather and the long term effect on courses...

[Paul Jones]

I live in South Louisiana and we are having one of the worst winters ever - yes it even snowed this week in Lafayette.

I am now wondering if the severe weather will have any long term effect on golf courses.  I know that one week we had to cover the greens with tarps.  

I know that up North courses go through this every year, but most of those courses probably do not have bermuda greens.

[John Moore II]

From what I understand, the snow actually can form something of an insulation over the grass. However, I would say that the grass will be fine, we deal with sub-freezing temps every year in NC and with little adverse affects. You may have some winter kill on the turf, but that isn't a big deal. Just make sure the players are aware of the fact that the course may not be in 100% shape come mid-spring. But overall, it doesn't do that much damage to the grass to have freezing temps, I would imagine courses in LA have roughly the same grass we have in NC.

[Ronald Montesano]

effect...affect is a verb...

xoxo,

grammar a-hole

[Mark Molyneux]

Paul-

I believe that John is quite correct in suggesting that the snow cover can act as insulation, actually protecting the course. The worst golf season up north, in my memory was an icy winter that quite literally had Philadelphia Section courses resembling hockey rinks. Snow may delay or interrupt your season a bit but ice kills.

Bermuda has always impressed me as a very hardy, resilient grass. I know some school districts in the midwest (Nebraska, Kansas) use Bermuda on playing fields for baseball and football and the temps there get WAY low with a fair bit of snow.

I have a friend in Belle Chasse who sent me pictures of his snow covered lawn this winter with a simple question, "What dat?" and I think that's a similar interrogatory to "Who dat?"

Mark

[Bill Rocco]

Bermuda can be hurt by winter kill depending on how long the snow covers it and how fast it freezes (intracellular vs extracellular)....

[Don_Mahaffey]

Paul,
Grass growers all across the mid and deep south are collecting turf plugs and heating them up in greenhouses to see how much winter kill we will have. Some areas will get hit very hard. Cold temps at night are normal, or cold for a few days, 4-5 straight days in the deep south where the temp never gets above 32 = bad news.
Snow cover on grass that was greening up after a week of 60 degree temps is not good.

[mike_beene]

Evidently the snow has given us a tree thinning program.Taking five days to clean course up.